Medicinal Benefits of Guava and Guava Leaves

Guava is a popular fruit, particularly in Asia where this is considered a mouthwatering treat. However, it is not only eaten as a snack, but it is also used for its medicinal purposes. What’s even better about the guava is that the plant also has health benefits.

Benefits of the Guava Fruit

Guava fruit has vitamins and minerals, but the most distinct quality is having plenty vitamin C.

Oranges are considered the richest in the said vitamin because it is a citrus fruit. What many people don’t know is that a single guava fruit can give four times the total vitamin C content found in an average size orange.

Aside from this, guava is rich in vitamin A, which when compared to vitamin Arich lemons, this fruit has 10 times more than the acidic counterpart.

The guava fruit also has vitamins B2, K, and E, which all promote good health. It also has fiber and folate with many minerals, such as manganese, phosphorus, iron, copper, calcium, and potassium.

With these nutrients, you are guaranteed that the guava fruit is truly a healthy fruit to eat. Another important thing to note is that unlike other fruits and vegetables out there, guava fruit does not need many chemical treatments. This is why the fruits are among the least sprayed fruits today.

Guava Leaves Benefits

The fruit is not the only thing that’s healthy in the guava plant. You shouldn’t take for granted the leaves of this plant, which are used to make tea. This practice has been a part of traditional medicine, particularly in South America and Mexico. Guava leaves are natural remedies for intestinal distress.

They contain phytochemicals that include several antioxidants, such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and carotenoids. Some of the compounds found in the leaves also promote natural antibiotic activities, which are effective in killing pathogens that cause diarrhea.

It is also interesting that the leaves are beneficial to the heart and the circulatory system. There are small clinical trials that discovered how the compounds found in the leaves can reduce blood pressure and normalize heart rate in patients with heart arrhythmia.

Guava leaf extracts can also lower blood cholesterol as well as triglycerides that are considered unhealthy.

Eating guava and using the guava leaves are also useful for diabetic patients because of their ability to lower blood sugar, especially after eating a meal with high carbohydrates.

With these health benefits, it is no wonder that the guava is now considered a superfood.